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Yamuna River Faces Water Quality Crisis
25 May
Summary
- Yamuna's e-flow is significantly below required levels.
- Okhla STP treated water injection into Yamuna is delayed.
- Faecal coliform levels in Yamuna far exceed safe limits.
Rejuvenation efforts for the Yamuna River are underway, focusing on improving its ecological flow (e-flow), essential for diluting pollution. The required e-flow is 23 cubic metres per second, but the river currently averages only 10 cumecs. A significant hurdle is the delay in connecting the Okhla Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) to the Yamuna, with the Uttar Pradesh irrigation department yet to complete the necessary pipeline work, which was revised to February 2026. This connection is crucial for releasing 563 million liters per day of treated water.
The Okhla STP, one of the country's largest, began operations in September 2025. However, an inadequate conveyance system capacity has caused backflow issues, necessitating its disconnection from the drain. Officials have urged the UP Irrigation Department to expedite the conduit work. In April, the Yamuna's faecal coliform levels peaked at 310,000 MPN/100ml, vastly exceeding the safe limit of 2,500 MPN/100ml, with the highest pollution recorded downstream of the Okhla barrage.
Additional projects like the Coronation Pillar STP and Yamuna Vihar STP are planned, alongside diverting Ganga water. The National Mission for Clean Ganga approved the Okhla STP project for e-flow improvement on September 13, 2024, with the UP irrigation department approving the work in March 2025 for ₹8.6 crore. Despite the STP's role in treating sewage, the treated water's injection into the river remains pending.
